The Consequences

Winner of the 2014 Anton Wachter Prize for Best First Novel, the Gouden Boekenuil Reader's Choice Award, the Opzij Prize, and the Lucy B. & C.W. van der Hoogt Prize.

Dutch author Niña Weijers took the world of European literature by storm in 2014 with her debut novel The Consequences, which quickly sold 20,000 copies in Holland and garnered praise from the international literary community for its maturity and ambition (Actes Sud and Surhkamp editions were released in 2016).

Using subtle, captivating prose, Weijers tells the story of Minnie Panis, a young and talented conceptual artist, as she navigates love affairs, her unexpected success in the art world, and her relationship with an emotionally distant mother. Beginning with Minnie's near-death experience falling through the ice during her ultimate artwork, Weijers takes readers on a rollercoaster ride as Minnie uncovers the truth behind her premature birth. The doctor who saves her life twice enters Minnie into his clinic, whose motto All the fish has to do is get lost in the water helps her arrive at the border of life's ebb, where meaningful art and revelations occur. An intimate, often humorous exploration of the intertwining cycles of death, rebirth, and coincidence, The Consequences is a Bildungsroman that echoes far beyond the last page.

Niña Weijers studied literary theory in Amsterdam and Dublin. She has published short stories, essays, and articles in various literary magazines, and is a regular contributor to De Groene Amsterdammer, NRC Handelsblad and an editor of De Gids.